Finding You
by ZamShazam1995
Summary: AU! Modern day. Levi and Eren meet in the middle of the night in an old diner. They spend the night together going on adventures and doing stupid things together, opening up to each other. Somewhat Ereri
1. Midnight

Eren walked into the cold diner and let out a small sigh. The pain in his right temple throbbed with a constant pulse, but the easy-going smell of warm coffee and syrup pushed it from his mind. The waitress smiled at him and walked him to the counter and set down a menu in front of him softly.

He smiled back up at her as the chef behind them moved about slowly. She walked away and Eren put his fingers to his temple without thinking. He eyed the menu absentmindedly. Nothing really looked that appetizing. Then again, he did just have dinner, like, five hours ago. He should be hungry.

Looking up again, the waitress poured some black coffee into a mug in front of him. She stood there as he poured some creamer in it. "Rough day?"

He rolled his eyes, "I have an essay due tomorrow, I don't want to do it."

"That wasn't your excuse last week," She yawned absentmindedly as he sipped his coffee, "Let me be your therapist?"

"Go ahead," He sipped his coffee, making sure he had a blank expression.

"You are trying to get away from something. You are bored, and you aren't challenged. Or, I could be totally off. You could have some horrible trauma going on and this is your escape," she tilted her head to the side inquisitively.

He set his coffee down, looking to the parking lot where a motorcycle pulled up. "That's really good."

"But you won't tell me?"

"Nope."

"You don't look like the mysterious kind of guy. The kind of guy who goes to diners at midnight," She looked back at the guy walking in, holding his helmet under his arm.

"Maybe I just like the coffee," Eren said as she walked away to give the guy a menu. He watched her go and looked at the guy instead. He looked more like the mysterious type. He was short, but dark. He had long-ish hair and dark eyes. Eren wondered what he was doing in a place like this, he looked like he had a life.

The guy walked past Eren and down to the edge of the counter where he sat down, not giving Eren a second glance.

As the waitress came back, Eren caught her arm and she sat on the stool next to him. He looked deep into her eyes, making it obvious he was not talking about the guy who just walked in. "Who is _that_?"

She giggled, "I have no idea." She looked over his shoulder to eye the guy. "He comes here all the time, it's weird you guys haven't run into each other yet."

"Wait, he comes in now? In the middle of the night? Why? That so weird," Eren muttered to himself.

"I know, isn't he dreamy?" She sighed to herself.

"What? No." Eren looked aback, as the waitress gave him a look and got up.

"I think he goes to Sina U," She whispered while walking back into the kitchen to get her coffee pot.

Huh. Sina U, that was strange. He hadn't met anyone in college yet. Although this guy certainly did look like he was in college, he was probably like 25 or something despite being short.

He watched out of the corner of his eye when the waitress filled up his coffee and he nodded to her without a smile. Something about him intrigued Eren.

Eren sat in silence for a few minutes just sipping his coffee while his thoughts drifted back to thinking about his paper. He didn't want to write it. Mikasa had been all over it, done within the hour. Same with Armin.

Sometimes they both made him feel stupid. He never had a knack for doing things he didn't want to do. But if he found something he was passionate about, he would give it everything he had.

"SHIT."

There came a crashing from the kitchen and a loud thump. Eren jumped, being interrupted from his thoughts. He got up, looking for the chef. He looked to the other guy who had also stood up and was looking at Eren, presumably wondering what to do. Eren caught his gaze for a moment and was frozen in his deep, cold eyes.

He shook his head as he looked back to the kitchen where the waitress was holding the chef over on arm and trying to walk.

"Ah, Eren? Help? Please…" She muttered, trying to support his weight. Eren ran over, his mind racing, not feeling the throbbing pain that had started up again. He got behind the counter and noticed the blood pooling under the man's leg.

"I think he dropped a knife on himself," She explained. The only thing Eren could think was that this was probably a major health code violation.

"Can you please go get some towels from the bathroom?" Eren heard the guy's voice behind him. It was deep, dripping with authority.

She nodded slowly and the guy got down on one knee, holding the man's head up. He looked to Eren quickly.

"Eren it was?"

He nodded dumbly.

"Can you please put pressure on the wound? It will stop the bleeding. And please elevate that ankle above his waist please."

Eren did as he was told, not thinking about the blood getting on his clothes. He watched the guy get his phone out of his pocket and dial 911. He spoke quickly and methodically into the receiver until the waitress came back with a bundle of towels. He hung up the phone and slowly scooted Eren out of the way.

He applied pressure to the cut and placed the man's leg on his own shoulder as he squatted down so it was elevated above his heart. He looked back to Eren.

"Are you alright?"

Eren nodded mutely again, not noticing he was shaking. He wondered how this guy knew how to do this so instinctually without any kind of emotion.

"Good. Go wash your hands off."

Eren walked away, doing as he was told.

By the time he had gotten back, the paramedics had arrived and the waitress was crying. He watched them take the chef onto a gurney and into an ambulance outside. The guy gave all the details robotically until he saw Eren. He shooed the paramedics away as they went to talk to the waitress. Again, Eren had another misplaced thought of the fact that the restaurant was probably closing now.

He didn't realize that he wasn't reacting well do this whole thing.

"I'm Levi," he stuck his hand out.

Again, Eren nodded, looking down at Levi's hand as if not sure what to do with it. Finally he shook it weakly, "Eren."

Levi's lips curled into a small grin, "You wanna go for a walk?"

Eren looked up, not forgetting about how this was the guy that had intrigued him so much only an hour ago.

"Sure."

They stepped outside into the cold air and watched the fire trucks linger with the waitress. Eren waved to her and she smiled softly back to him, clutching a blanket around her shoulders. Levi held his helmet with one hand, watching Eren intently.

They walked in silence for a few minutes under the streetlamps. Eren blinked, trying to get ahold of himself.

"I am covered in blood," he finally said. "I look like I just murdered someone."

Levi shrugged off his jacket and handed it to him without saying anything.

Eren looked to him as he put it on, smelling the sweet scent that enveloped him. "How did you know how to do that?"

Levi looked up, squinting into the dark sky. He bit his lip before pulling out a small cigarette from his jeans pocket and lighting it, the soft yellow light flickering against his hardened features. "Want one?"

"No thanks."

"I was in the Marines," He said looking away as he blew the smoke out past his face into the darkness. "I had an honorable discharge."

Eren blinked, not expecting that. Levi didn't look like the kind of person who would be in the military. He looked so…rebellious. Maybe that was why he was discharged. Eren was curious, but he didn't dare ask.

"Oh," was all he said. "So you're used to things like that?"

Levi looked at him, raising an eyebrow. That was a stupid question. "Yea, I guess. At least, I just know how to handle it. Is that what it means to be used to it?"

"I don't think so," Eren looked at the ground. "I think it means that it doesn't bother you anymore."

"That's not possible."

Eren didn't say anything.

"No matter how many times you see something horrible doesn't mean you just accept it. I don't think anyone can ever get used to something like that. It's not in our nature."

Eren nodded, "That makes sense, and we can't just desensitize ourselves to pain."

Levi smiled, "We can try."

Eren paused, "My mom died last year."

Levi looked at him, taking a drag of his cigarette. He looked ahead, eyes heavy. "I'm sorry Eren; I know how carrying something like that must feel."

Eren didn't know why he was telling this random stranger these things at all. But for some reason he felt like he was safe, he felt like he could trust Levi. He wanted to talk to him, he wanted to let everything that he had kept in out.

"Why did you come into the diner tonight?" Levi asked.

"I don't sleep at night," He sighed. "I rarely sleep at all. I don't know why. I just need some place to go to think. I need to go somewhere, I don't know, maybe I need to find myself."

He paused, waiting for Levi to say something. "Why did you come?"

Levi looked back up to the stars, twinkling in the sky like little lightning bugs. "Maybe I was trying to find you."


	2. DADT

**Author's Note:**

**So I was kinda aiming for a one shot with this but I've got some ideas for this story. It seems like you guys want me to continue so I'll keep updating. I have no idea how often it will be though, hopefully once a week at least. Thanks for reviewing/following/favoring!  
**

* * *

Eren blushed, pulling the jacket tighter around him. He wasn't expecting something like that. He listened to their shallow footfalls on the pavement as Levi stuck his hand in his jeans and held his helmet in the other by his side. He took another drag of his cigarette, keeping his calm demeanor.

"Besides," Levi continued, blowing the smoke out. Eren watched it as it penetrated the air and then circled up towards the sky. "I don't like staying home by myself. It's too loud there."

Eren nodded, knowing that feeling. Sometimes the silence was too loud. The silence of no one ever saying what they were really thinking, and the silence of everything being bottled up inside just waiting to be let out.

"Yeah, I know what that feels like. It's like that in my house." Eren said, glancing back to Levi.

Levi paused, thinking. "You know what's interesting?"

"What?"

He looked at the cigarette between his fingers before speaking, "That word. Lots of people say 'house' as opposed to home. I've noticed, that the two don't mean the same thing."

Eren blinked a few times, wondering where that came from, "Did I say house instead of home or something?"

"Yes you did."

"Oh." He ran his hands through his hair, not really sure how much he wanted to open up to this stranger, "I guess home is a place where you feel comfortable, like where you can feel safe."

Levi tossed the butt on the ground and squished it under his boot, "And you don't feel like that where you live?"

Eren shook his head as they walked on, reaching a grassy park, "I don't know. It's just different."

"That's cryptic," Levi stated as they walked.

"It's not really a home anymore. It feels really empty now. No one ever talks about it. My sister just wants to baby me, but she can't deal with her own shit if she is trying to fix me. I don't need fixing." Eren sighed, walking and looking at the rolling, green hill, avoiding Levi's gaze.

"It sounds like you might. Why else would you be in a park with someone you just met in the middle of the night talking about your problems?" Levi asked. Eren didn't like the way he said it. It made him feel like he was complaining. He didn't like talking about himself, he decided not to do it anymore for the rest of the night.

Levi walked on ahead of Eren until he reached a water fountain. Eren watched him as he lifted his knee up and turned it on and rinsed off his fingers in the water.

He looked up as Eren eyed him inquisitively, "It's the cigarettes. I hate the smell, it's a nasty habit. I know I should quit."

Eren wanted to ask more about Levi, but he didn't look like he wanted to share, so he only asked what he could, making himself sound childish. "Did you pick it up in the army?"

Levi looked at Eren, flicking the water off his hands nonchalantly. "I was stationed it Kuwait in 2004. I wasn't there for very long though."

Eren nodded, pretending like he knew what that meant, he was trying to do the math in his head, wondering how old Levi was now.

Levi arched an eyebrow, watching him think. "I was only 18. Just think it through, you'll get there kid."

Eren ignored the dig, "Why were you discharged?"

He was half expecting to hear some horrible story with blood and guts and war but nothing came. Levi shook his head, walking away back the way they came, leaving Eren to catch up.

"You're young, don't remember a whole lot do you?" He looked up. Even being older, he was still a head shorter than Eren.

"I wasn't really following the war," Eren said.

"No, that's not what I meant."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable."

Levi narrowed his eyes, annoyed. That sounded like defeat to him, so he just spit it out. Besides, he was just a kid. What was the worst that he could do? "It was under Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Eren blinked a few times, his mind processing that bit of news. He hadn't really expected…that. He much preferred the version of there being some dramatic explosion or fire-battle. Not something so anti-climactic.

"Well, that…" He paused, "Um."

Levi smiled, glad he got the kid to shut up for a moment. He could hear himself think, however, there was something oddly comforting in Eren's presence.

"I don't look it do I?" Levi raised an eyebrow back to Eren.

Eren smiled, shaking his head, "Ah, not really."

"I know. Don't worry though. You're not my type."

Eren smiled wide, "Why? What's wrong with me?"

"Too young. You can't handle it." Levi shook his head as they rounded the bend to where the diner was.

"I bet I can handle anything," Eren said as he looked at the bike parked in the driveway.

Levi didn't challenge him. He looked at his phone, checking the time and then back to Eren.

"You have a few hours before school starts. I can show you a good time."

Eren had a hint of hesitation, wondering if this would lead to a horrible kidnapping or something. But he realized that the longer he looked at that shiny bike he didn't care. He spent so much time cooped inside the house. He wanted to live and he didn't really care if he got killed. He was angry for so much and he wanted to escape and if he could do that on the back of a stranger's Kawasaki then he would.

He looked at Levi who was staring back with an unreadable expression. He was intrigued by Levi, by the opportunity to get away from his boring life. He nodded, hoping a little bit that Levi would take him so far that he would miss school and be having so much fun that he wouldn't have to worry about it at all.


End file.
